Russia seeks to buy 1,000 Italian armored vehicles — report

22:57 09/03/2010

Russia is in talks with Italy on the purchase of up to 1,000 armored vehicles, an Italian news agency reported on Tuesday. According to Ansa, the Russian military would like to buy up to 1,000 IVECO M65 (LMV) Light Multirole Vehicles. It offered no further details, saying that the negotiations were ongoing. LMVs have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Italian missions abroad, where they have performed admirably.

ROME, March 9 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/russia/20100309/158142156.html

 Russian military denies plans to buy Italian armored vehicles

09:27 10/03/2010

The Russian Defense Ministry dismissed on Wednesday media reports that it was planning to purchase a large number of armored vehicles from Italy. Russian and Italian media said on Tuesday that Russia was in negotiations to buy up to 1,000 IVECO M65 (LMV) Light Multirole Vehicles. "The Defense Ministry has no plans to purchase foreign armored vehicles," ministry spokesman Col. Alexey Kuznetsov said. The official said Russia had tested several models of foreign armored vehicles in 2009 to compare their performance and combat capabilities with domestic equivalents. "We have sent our evaluation to Russian manufacturers," Kuznetsov said, without offering any further details. Italian LMVs have been used in Iraq, Afghanistan and other NATO missions abroad, where they have performed admirably.

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100310/158145183.html

 Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces conduct large-scale drills

09:56 10/03/2010

More than 2,000 servicemen from Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) are taking part in large-scale command-and-staff exercises that started on Wednesday, a military spokesman said. "The SMF are conducting command-and-staff drills on March 10-12 in line with the annual training program," Col. Vadim Koval said. According to the official, the SMF will practice operations control in scenarios involving conventional and nuclear warfare under guidelines outlined by Russia’s new military doctrine. "A total of more than 2,000 servicemen and 150 theater- and tactical-level command-and-control centers take part in the drills," Koval said. Russia plans to complete the modernization of the SMF’s command-and-control systems by 2016 in order to improve their ability to overcome missile defenses and increase the survivability of delivery vehicles. The SMF conducted a total of 11 large-scale exercises and two test launches of strategic missiles in 2009. The Strategic Missile Forces reportedly have a total of 538 ICBMs, including 306 SS-25 Sickle missiles, 88 SS-18 Satan and 56 SS-27 Topol-M missiles.

MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100310/158145420.html

 NATO commander backs cooperation with Russia on missile defense

15:19 10/03/2010

The new U.S. adoptive approach for European missile defense includes the possibility of using a Russian radar system as part of an integrated system, NATO’s top military officer has said. Adm. James G. Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he supported the idea of partnering with Russia as a way to enhance security against shared missile threats. "First, it would create a zone of cooperation with Russia [from a military standpoint]; secondly, it could technically add to the early warning time because of the location of the system; and thirdly, it creates confidence-building measures between ourselves and the Russians," the admiral said. Moscow has earlier offered the use of the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan and the Armavir radar station in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory as alternatives to previous U.S. plans for a missile shield in Central Europe, but Washington has been reluctant so far to accept the proposal. Stavridis called the new phased-in approach for European missile defense "timely and flexible," and said it will provide "capability that we can step up and be adaptive." In his prepared statement for the Armed Services Committee the admiral also outlined NATO’s view on overall military cooperation with Russia. "Working with Russia is about balance and seeking to find the potential for cooperation, while maintaining an honest and open dialogue about all aspects of our relationship, including where we disagree," the statement said. "We at European Command are ready to pursue military-to-military communication, engagement, and even training and operations with Russia where and when appropriate."

WASHINGTON, March 10 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100310/158148746.html

 India, Russia agree details of joint 5G-fighter project

13:50 11/03/2010

India and Russia have agreed in general on shared responsibility for the joint development of the fifth-generation fighter, the chairman of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said. Moscow and New Delhi are expected to sign a contract on the joint development of the new fighter in the near future, focusing on the design concept and technical requirements put forward by India. "Currently, broad areas of work sharing have been identified. Composite materials, avionics, etc. could be some of the focus areas of HAL," Ashok Nayak said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti. Nayak did not specify the cost of the project but said it would be split evenly between India and Russia. The sides agreed to develop both a single-seat and a two-seat versions of the aircraft by 2016, focusing on the single-seat version in the initial stages of development. "Both versions will be put in service with the Indian Air Force," Nayak said. The HAL chairman said the Indian side had already specified technical requirements for the single-seat version and passed them on to Russian manufacturers. "The general agreement is that we work on both sides - the Russians and the Indians will cooperate on both versions of the aircraft," he said. The new aircraft will be most likely based on Russia’s T-50 prototype fifth-generation fighter, which has already made two test flights and is expected to join the Russian Air Force in 2015. Russia has been developing its fifth-generation fighter since the 1990s. The current prototype, known as the T-50, was designed by the Sukhoi design bureau and built at a plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia’s Far East. Russian officials have already hailed the fighter as "a unique warplane" that combines the capabilities of an air superiority fighter and attack aircraft.

NEW DELHI, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100311/158159986.html

 Russia signs $1.5-bln fighter jet contract with India

16:12 12/03/2010

Russia and India have signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supplies of 29 more MiG-29K carrier-based fighter jets to New Delhi, the head of the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG said on Friday. "An agreement on supplying an additional set of MiG-29K fighter jets has been signed, the start of supplies is scheduled for 2012," Mikhail Pogosyan said. The deal was signed during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi. Pogosyan said Russia should fulfill the previous contract on supplies of single-seat MiG-29K fighters to India by 2010. Russia and India signed a contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India in January 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5 billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian navy. India’s first MiG-29Ks and MiG-29KUBs officially entered service earlier this year. Analysts believe that India will remain the main purchaser of Russian-made combat aircraft for the next 15 years under existing and future contracts, as the country desperately needs to upgrade its fighter fleet, which includes Su-30MKI and MiG-29 fighters, but mainly consists of obsolete Soviet MiG-21 models.

NEW DELHI, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100312/158174946.html

 Russia against developing military ties with Pakistan

18:38 12/03/2010

Russia is not developing military cooperation with Pakistan, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Friday. "I would like to stress that Russia is not maintaining military cooperation with Pakistan as it takes into account the concerns of [our] Indian partners," Putin said after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In the 1990s, Pakistan was the chief purchaser of T-80UD tanks produced by Ukraine. India and Pakistan resumed talks on normalizing bilateral relations for the first time in many years in 2008, but the peace hopes were shattered when a coordinated terrorist attack hit the Indian city of Mumbai in November 2008, claiming at least 166 lives and wounding more than 300 people. India then blamed the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba movement for the assault and said it wanted to see a "visible response" from Islamabad. New Delhi has a long history of military ties with Moscow. The current cooperation program comprises about 200 joint projects, including the transfer of technology for the licensed assembly of T-90 tanks in India, the production of BrahMos missiles and the purchase of Smerch MLRS by India. Earlier on Friday, Russia and India signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supplies of 29 more MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets to New Delhi. The two countries signed a contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India in January 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5 billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian navy.

NEW DEHLI, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100312/158177001.html

 Russian government approves draft deal on joint military base in S.Ossetia

23:21 12/03/2010

The Russian government has approved a draft agreement on a joint military base in the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia, the Russian Cabinet published on its website on Friday. The draft agreement will now be sent to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to sign. According to the website, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed the draft agreement on March 9. A similar draft agreement was signed with another former Georgian republic, Abkhazia, on February 17 in the Kremlin when Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh was in Moscow. The document would allow Russia’s Armed Forces to use a base "together with the Abkhaz Armed Forces to protect the sovereignty and security of the republic, including against international terrorist groups." The agreement is for a 49-year term and can automatically be prolonged at 15-year intervals. Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in early August 2008 over Georgia’s two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia recognized the two republics’ independence shortly after ceasefire.

MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/russia/20100312/158179383.html

 Russia and India sign major military, nuclear deals

20:17 12/03/2010

Russia and India signed on Friday a host of high-profile deals during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s working visit to the country. The visit kicked off late on Thursday, amid many expectations as well as big money. New fighter jet contract Russia and India have signed a $1.5-billion contract on the supplies of 29 more MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets to New Delhi. The start of the supplies is scheduled for 2012. The two countries signed an earlier contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India in January 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5-billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy. India’s first MiG-29Ks and MiG-29KUBs officially entered service earlier this year. Indian and Russian officials said a contract on the joint development of the new fifth-generation fighter would be signed within the next few months. Gorshkov deal The two countries have also signed a deal on upgrading the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, following an earlier statement from the Indian government’s security committee that it would allocate $2.3 billion to retrofit the ship. The initial refit agreement of $750 million went up by an additional $1.5 billion. In line with the contract, the aircraft carrier will be handed over to India by 2012. The Admiral Gorshkov is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier, originally named Baku. The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987. It was renamed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, following a boiler room explosion, the Admiral Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs. In 1995, it briefly returned to service and in 1996 was finally withdrawn and put up for sale. The ship has a displacement capacity of 45,000 tons. It has a maximum speed of 32 knots and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots. Glonass project Russia and India have signed several deals to establish a joint venture to produce navigation equipment for GPS and its Russian equivalent Glonass, including the use of the Glonass system for defense needs. "We have signed a deal on the use of the Glonass system, specifically on commercializing this system, that is, the production of equipment. The second deal [is concerned with] the use of the Glonass signal for defense needs," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said. Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellite System - is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian use. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters. The Glonass navigation satellite system is expected to start operating worldwide by the end of 2010. As soon as global operations are launched, India will be able to use the civilian signal, allowing users to determine their position to within five to 15 meters. India could offer new NPP construction site to Russia India could provide Russia a third site for the construction of new nuclear power plants. "There is Haripur, there is Kudankulam, and there will be another," said Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia’s state-controlled nuclear power corporation Rosatom. He did not indicate where the new site could be located. He said a total of 12 nuclear power units are to be built at the first two sites. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said that under the new array of agreements just signed, up to 16 reactors would be built on "three construction sites." SK Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), said Wednesday India had "an overall plan up until 2050" and in this context Russian participation was seen as "important." He added that the cost of the reactors was $1,600 per kilowatt. Russian company Atomstroyexport has been building two reactors for the plant since 2002 under a 1988 Indian-USSR deal.

MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100312/158177812.html

 Russia, India to sign contract for sketching 5th generation jet soon

13.03.2010, 01.06

NEW DELHI, March 13 (Itar-Tass) — Russia and India will sign a contract for a technical sketch project of fifth generation jets within several months, the head of Sukhoi corporation, Mikhail Pogosian, said on Friday. “We are in the process of negotiations. They will be completed in the near future and we shall ink a contract for the technical sketch project of this plane then,” Pogosian said, adding that such major undertakings were very time-consuming. This is one of the reasons why the contract was not signed during Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, he added. On February 16 Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko said that a Russian-Indian project for jointly developing a fifth generation fighter would enter into the active implementation phase this year. Russia and India, he said, “are starting joint work on this product being well aware that they will share the copyrights.” Also, Khristenko said that the parties would share benefits from selling the plane not only on their domestic markets, but also on the markets of third countries. “This is an unprecedented situation. India is the sole country with which we have decided to establish such partnership,” Khristenko said.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14912167&PageNum=0

 U.S. not seeking military base in Kyrgyzstan’s south - embassy

18:04 09/03/2010

The U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan denied on Tuesday that Washington was seeking to establish a military base in the south of the Central Asian state, saying it was funding a training center for Kyrgyz troops. "The United States does not have and does not seek to obtain a military base in Kyrgyzstan’s south," an embassy spokesman said while addressing last week’s reports in a variety of internet publications that the United States had agreed with Kyrgyz authorities on construction of an anti-terrorist training center in the Batken Region. The spokesman said the U.S. government had allocated $5.5 million for the training center, whose construction is to be launched next year, but stressed that it would be owned by the Kyrgyz government and will be used for training Kyrgyz soldiers. Some political experts interpreted the U.S. step as the country’s plans to strengthen its presence in the former Soviet republic, where Russia has its own military base. The United States uses an airbase in Manas outside Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, to support its operations in nearby Afghanistan. The terms of the U.S. use of the base were changed last summer after the Central Asian state ordered its closure early in 2009. The decision to shut the base was widely seen as being influenced by Russia, which had granted Kyrgyzstan a large financial aid package. However, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed in the summer of 2009 a law allowing the U.S. to continue using the airbase. The U.S. base was redefined as a transit center as part of the deal, which included Washington increasing its annual payment to $60 million from the previous sum of $17.4 million.

BISHKEK, March 9 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100309/158139084.html

 Key Ukrainian politician Arseniy Yatsenyuk declines premiership

20:00 09/03/2010

A key Ukrainian politician, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, declined President Viktor Yanukovych’s proposal to hold a high post in the new cabinet, the presidential press office said on Tuesday. "I have proposed Arseniy Yatsenyuk a high post in the future government, which I believe is to be formed in the next few days. But Yatsenyuk declined and said he should move to the opposition. I believe this will be a constructive opposition which won’t harm the country," Yanukovych was quoted by his press office as saying. Yatsenyuk disapproved of an amendment adopted on March 9 which enables independent MPs to take part in forming a majority coalition, so far a privilege of parliamentary factions. However Yanukovych insists on creating a ruling coalition without calling fresh parliamentary elections. According to Yanukovych, Ukraine cannot afford early parliamentary elections because the prolonged political instability would provoke a worsening of the economic crisis in the country. Earlier this week, Yanukovych said he was considering the ex-parliament speaker, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a leader of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions, Mykola Azarov, and banker Sergei Tigipko to be the main candidates for prime minister.

KIEV, March 9 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100309/158140602.html

 Yanukovych says Tigipko accepts top post in Ukrainian government

14:41 10/03/2010

Sergei Tigipko, a major player in Ukrainian politics after finishing third in the presidential elections, agreed on Wednesday to become a deputy prime minister, President Viktor Yanukovych said. The president’s press service said Tigipko accepted Yanukovych’s offer at a meeting between the two on Wednesday of the senior government position, which would give him responsibility for Ukraine’s battered economy. "Sergei Tigipko is not a member of any party in the parliament. The people of Ukraine showed him great support in the last presidential election, thus supporting changes and reforms. Tigipko is a good candidate to supervise the economic bloc," Yanukovych said. Tigipko has not commented on the meeting. The former central banker came third in the January 17 first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections, dominated by Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko. Yanukovych won the runoff and was inaugurated on February 25, while the Ukrainian parliament last week dismissed the government led by Tymoshenko. The new president named Tigipko, ex-parliament speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Mykola Azarov, a leader of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions, to be the main candidates for the post of prime minister. Yatsenyuk held talks with Yanukovych on Tuesday, but turned down the offer of a high post in the government, saying he would become part of the opposition.

KIEV, March 10 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100310/158148305.html

 Three Ukrainian parliamentary factions agree to enter new coalition

00:58 11/03/2010

Three factions in the Ukrainian parliament have agreed to enter a new coalition, which new Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is seeking to create to push through his policies, the Ukrainskaya Pravda daily has said, quoting the Ukrainian first deputy speaker. The Ukrainian majority coalition, led by Yanukovych’s political arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko, who narrowly lost in last month’s presidential election, collapsed on March 2. The next day, parliament dismissed Tymoshenko’s government, improving the chances of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions to form a new parliamentary majority. "Consultations on the issue with all parliamentary factions have been concluded. There is a [positive] decision of three factions, which would form a coalition together with a number of other lawmakers," Oleksandr Lavrynovych was quoted by the paper as saying. The factions that decided to enter the new coalition in the 450-seat legislature were Yanukovych’s Party of Regions (172 seats), the Communists (27 seats), and the Lytvyn Bloc (20 seats), he said. On February 10, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law to ease the rules for forming a majority coalition in parliament. It requires the majority coalition manifest to be signed by at least 226 of the coalition members. Previously, only the signatures of faction leaders were necessary to constitute a coalition. However, the three factions that agreed to enter the coalition hold altogether only 219 seats, which means they would need the support of seven other lawmakers to create the parliamentary majority. "Apparently, we will see the announcement of a list of lawmakers and the decision of parliamentary factions to create a coalition, as well as the publication of a coalition manifest, in the near future," Lavrynovych was quoted as saying. Tymoshenko, whose bloc holds 153 seats in the Kiev-based legislature, earlier announced she would move into the opposition without waiting until a new parliamentary majority was formed. So far, there has been no agreement reached with the Our Ukraine - People’s Self-Defense bloc led by former president Viktor Yushchenko, which has 71 seats in the parliament, on entering the coalition, Lavrynovych said. Besides the five factions, there are seven independent lawmakers in the Ukrainian legislature. In line with Ukrainian law, if a new parliamentary coalition is not formed within 30 days after the dissolution of the previous one, the president has a right to disband parliament. Yanukovych, who came to power last month after winning the February 7 runoff, insists on creating a ruling coalition without calling fresh parliamentary elections. He says Ukraine cannot afford early parliamentary elections because the prolonged political instability would provoke a worsening of the economic crisis in the country.

KIEV, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100311/158154159.html

 New Ukrainian majority coalition nominates Yanukovych ally Azarov for PM

11:57 11/03/2010

The new parliamentary coalition in Ukraine has nominated President Viktor Yanukovych’s ally Mykola Azarov for prime minister, a deputy from Yanukovych’s Party of Regions said Thursday. The coalition numbers 235 deputies and comprises the Party of Regions, now temporarily led by Azarov, the Communists and the bloc of parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn.

KIEV, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100311/158158877.html

 Legal precedent in Ukraine: journalist allowed to doubt Holodomor as genocide

13:00 11/03/2010

A court in east Ukraine has created a legal precedent, ruling that a local journalist has the right to doubt that the 1932-1933 Holodomor famine was an act of genocide of the Ukrainian nation, the Party of Regions reported Thursday. Ukrainian nationalists say that Russia, as the legal successor of the Soviet Union, should bear responsibility for the famine in which more than 3 million people perished in Ukraine. Russia says the famine cannot be considered an act that targeted Ukrainians, as millions of people from different ethnic groups also lost their lives in vast territories across the Soviet Union. The court in the Donetsk Region refused to grant a lawsuit by Vasily Kovalenko, a Ukrainian businessman, against Rodnoye Priazovye newspaper editor Sergei Shvedko over an article on Holodomor in which Shvedko said it was not genocide. Kovalenko asked the court to rule the article was against the law and that it humiliated national dignity and insulted the memory of Holodomor victims. However the court ruled on Tuesday that the article contained assessments and the personal viewpoint of the author and does not violate the law in any way. Shvedko said: "The fact that the court sided with the journalist who voiced his civil position confirms once again that in a democratic state, viewpoints and thoughts of a person cannot be an illegal act regardless of how much certain forces would want that." Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said during his presidential campaign that Kiev’s attempts to blame Russia for Holodomor were unjust. Under former president Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine, which says over 3.9 million people died during the famine, was seeking international recognition of the famine as an act of genocide. Yanukovych, who headed the Party of Regions until he was forced to suspend his membership following his election as president, is supported in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions. In January, a court in Kiev found Bolshevik leaders, including dictator Joseph Stalin, guilty of genocide against Ukrainians during Holodomor, but dropped criminal proceedings "due to the suspects’ deaths."

DONETSK, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100311/158159509.html

 Ukraine parliament approves Mykola Azarov prime minister

13:20 11/03/2010

Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday approved President Viktor Yanukovych’s ally Mykola Azarov as prime minister, with 242 deputies voting for the approval, with a minimum of 226 needed. Yanukovych earlier in the day formally proposed to parliament the candidacy of Azarov after the new parliamentary coalition in Ukraine nominated him for the post. The new coalition has 235 deputies and comprises the Party of Regions, now temporarily led by Azarov, the Communists, the bloc of parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, and several independent deputies.

KIEV, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100311/158159646.html

 Ukraine parliament approves new government

15:42 11/03/2010

The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday approved a new government led by newly appointed Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. The 450-seat Supreme Rada carried the decision with 240 votes against a required minimum of 226. The first deputy prime minister is Andriy Klyuev, while one of the deputy prime ministers is Sergei Tigipko, who came in third in the recent presidential poll. The other deputy prime ministers are Boris Kolesnikov, Volodymyr Seminozhenko, Volodymyr Sivkovich, Viktor Slauta and Viktor Tikhonov. Ukraine’s new foreign minister is Kostyantyn Hryshchenko, former ambassador to Russia, and the new defense minister is Myhailo Yezhel, former Navy commander. The Rada also appointed Fedir Yaroshenko as finance minister and Vasyl Tsushko as economics minister. Tsushko served as interior minister in 2006-2007. The new interior minister is Maj. Gen. Anatoliy Mohilev.

KIEV, March 11 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100311/158161814.html

 Ukraine may seek new multi-billion-dollar loan from Russia - paper

13:29 12/03/2010

Ukraine may renew calls for a multi-billion-dollar loan from Russia to cover holes in its budget and pay off debts, a Russian respected daily said on Friday, quoting government sources in both countries. Ukraine asked Russia last year to consider granting it a $5 billion loan to cover its budget deficit. But Moscow rejected the request mainly because of its hostility to the then pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko. On February 25, Yushchenko handed over to new President Viktor Yanukovych, who is widely seen as having more "pro-Russian" policies. Yanukovych has already installed his ally, Mykola Azarov, as premier, and the new Ukrainian government is also expected to seek better ties with Russia. The Kommersant daily said that Kiev expected Moscow to actively participate in bailing out the Ukrainian economy, badly hit by the global economic crisis, and was planning to negotiate with Russia lower gas prices and the allocation of "substantial" financial aid in the form of a loan or large investments. A Ukrainian Foreign ministry source told Kommersant that the country could need some $3 billion. A Russian Foreign ministry source said the issue of financial aid had been already raised during Yanukovych’s visit to Moscow on March 5, but that Kiev had yet to make an official request. He added that Russia was ready to invest in certain projects in Ukraine, such as the construction of Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian source said the country was ready to accompany Russia on many issues, such as reducing its military cooperation with Georgia and the 2017 date for the Black Sea Fleet to leave its Crimea base.

MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/exsoviet/20100312/158172805.html

 Tigipko says joined government for unique chance to change Ukraine

17:44 12/03/2010

Ukraine now has a unique chance to improve the political and economic situation in the country, political heavyweight Sergei Tigipko said on Friday explaining his decision to join the government. "We have for the first time in recent years a totally united position on carrying out reforms. In such a situation moving to opposition would be inappropriate. It seems to me that we, the politicians, should grab this opportunity and do our best," the deputy prime minister said. "I have a strict vision of the fact, that by voting for me, people have voted for reform and especially for action," said Tigipko, who will have overall responsibility for the economy in his new role. He added that a unique team of reformers had been brought together in the government, sharing similar views about the measures that should be taken to bring the country out of crisis, which has been prolonged by the period of political instability. Tigipko laid out the common points of a national rescue program. In his words, the paramount task now for Ukrainian politicians is to reduce the gaping budget deficit. Second, the government should attract national and foreign investment. To achieve this, Tigipko said Ukraine needed an honest and transparent financial and banking sector. Tigipko said reviving the national banking system and restarting the flow of credits was his third goal. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has already promised to work out details of short- and medium-term programs. Tigipko promised the first results would become apparent in the government’s first 100 days.

KIEV, March 12 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100312/158176372.html

 Moldova communists launch campaign to oust pro-Western government

18:49 10/03/2010

Moldovan communists plan to hold a referendum on a vote of no confidence against acting President Mihai Ghimpu and the acting government, communist deputy Vadim Mishin said on Wednesday. The ex-Soviet country, the poorest in Europe, has been locked in political turmoil since last year’s parliamentary polls in which the pro-Western coalition narrowly defeated the communists. The inability of the new legislature to elect a new president has contributed to Moldova’s severe economic crisis. The Moldovan Constitution requires the dissolution of parliament and a fresh general election if lawmakers fail twice to elect a new president. Two new parliaments failed last year to elect a president, and under the constitution another general election cannot be held until the fall. Communist opponents in parliament plan to hold a referendum to amend election rules and make nominating a new president easier. "There will be no early parliamentary elections in Moldova. We will have a new constitution," Ghimpu, who is the parliamentary speaker, said live on Moldovan TV. Moldovan communists have already called this decision a "collusion" and "usurpation of power." Moreover, they promised to boycott future sessions of the Moldovan parliament. To become president, a candidate needs 61 votes in the 101-seat chamber, but neither of the country’s two major political forces currently has enough MPs to secure a supermajority, and neither has been willing to compromise on its candidate. The situation in Moldova remains strained because the ruling liberal-democracy party and the communist bloc are unable to find a joint solution to solve the problem.

CHISINAU, March 10 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20100310/158151195.html

 Millions of Russians vote in regional elections

10:53 14/03/2010

Millions of Russians went to the polls on Sunday to vote in regional elections seen as a popularity test for the ruling United Russia party amid rising unemployment and housing and utilities prices. Polls opened on Sunday morning for about 32 million Russians to vote in the elections to local authorities held in 76 out of 83 Russian regions. Residents in the Khabarovsk Territory in the Russian Far East, the Republic of Altai and the Kurgan Region in south Siberia, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area in northwest Siberia, the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals, the Ryazan and Kaluga Regions in central Russia and the Voronezh Region in southwest Russia are electing regional legislatures. The pro-Kremlin United Russia party, the opposition A Just Russia party, Liberal Democrats and Communists, all of which have factions in Russia’s lower house of parliaments, are participating in the parliamentary elections in all the eight regions. They are also being challenged by the liberal opposition party Right Cause in the Voronezh and Ryazan Regions, Russia’s Patriots party in the Ryazan and Kaluga Regions and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. The parties have to clear the 7% threshold to be elected to regional legislatures, with the exception of the Republic of Altai where the threshold is 5%. At last year’s regional elections held on October 11, opposition parties claimed electoral fraud after the ruling United Russia party won by a landslide, following which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the country needed tighter supervision to ensure fair voting.

MOSCOW, March 14 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14913836&PageNum=0

 Millions of Russians vote in regional elections

10:53 14/03/2010

Millions of Russians went to the polls on Sunday to vote in regional elections seen as a popularity test for the ruling United Russia party amid rising unemployment and housing and utilities prices. Polls opened on Sunday morning for about 32 million Russians to vote in the elections to local authorities held in 76 out of 83 Russian regions. Residents in the Khabarovsk Territory in the Russian Far East, the Republic of Altai and the Kurgan Region in south Siberia, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area in northwest Siberia, the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals, the Ryazan and Kaluga Regions in central Russia and the Voronezh Region in southwest Russia are electing regional legislatures. The pro-Kremlin United Russia party, the opposition A Just Russia party, Liberal Democrats and Communists, all of which have factions in Russia’s lower house of parliaments, are participating in the parliamentary elections in all the eight regions. They are also being challenged by the liberal opposition party Right Cause in the Voronezh and Ryazan Regions, Russia’s Patriots party in the Ryazan and Kaluga Regions and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. The parties have to clear the 7% threshold to be elected to regional legislatures, with the exception of the Republic of Altai where the threshold is 5%. At last year’s regional elections held on October 11, opposition parties claimed electoral fraud after the ruling United Russia party won by a landslide, following which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the country needed tighter supervision to ensure fair voting.

MOSCOW, March 14 (RIA Novosti)

http://www.en.rian.ru/russia/20100314/158190515.html